People love pets. From personal protection to companionship, pets play an important role, in what is reported to be, more than half the households in America. In fact, often pet owners consider their pet part of the family. This devotion to the family pet, had led to an increase in pet travel; owners are simply demanding that their pets can travel with them, whether it be to the neighbor's house or on the family vacation. Unfortunately, many existing, non-collapsible pet enclosures and carriers are large, heavy, and cumbersome.
Existing portable pet carriers have multiple parts and are difficult to assemble efficiently. Typically, a rigid frame resides within a ballistic nylon cover. The nylon has very little give, so assembling the frame within the nylon cover can be difficult, requiring significant force. Additionally, in their collapsed state, existing pet enclosures fold to an uneven, awkward shape, making storage inconvenient, and adding an increased risk of damage, with supporting frame members left vulnerable. Also common in previous designs, is the joining of two support members mid-way between a span. This design creates a structurally weak point should a load be applied to the support members, creating a possible dangerous situation for the pet inside.
Therefore, there exists a need for a self-tensioning, level folding, collapsible pet enclosure and carrier. Not only should the pet carrier be comfortable for the enclosed pet, it also needs to safely accommodate the enclosed pet, and be convenient for the owner. This new invention utilizes and combines known and new technologies in a unique and novel configuration to overcome the aforementioned problems and accomplish this.